Northern Burlington's Terry to be a walk-on at Rutgers

Northern Burlington's LJ Terry hopes to continue his football career at Rutgers where he will be a preferred walk-on with hopes of making the team.Beverly Schaefer/For The Times

MANSFIELD — The college football recruiting process is about evaluation.

Unfortunately, it’s also sometimes about pigeonholing high school players.

College recruiters are all about numbers — height, weight, 40-yard dash time, bench press, grade point average. At the same time, recruiters can’t measure heart, desire or work ethic by looking at a game video.

L.J. Terry, a fullback-linebacker at Northern Burlington High School, was told he was a Division II or Division III player. Smith, a 6-foot, 217-pounder, believes otherwise and is willing to prove it.

Shunning recruiting efforts from Division II New Haven and Division III Delaware Valley, Smith yesterday said he has been offered preferred walk-on status at Rutgers, where he will attempt to earn a spot with the big-time Scarlet Knights as a fullback.

“I want to challenge myself,” said Terry, a Times’ All-Area linebacker in the fall. “I decided I’m not going to take the easy way.”

Terry never has.

“L.J. is a kid who has never backed down from anything,” said Northern Burlington wrestling coach Jule Dolci. “For L.J., it’s always been about the mission.”

Playing at 260 pounds, Terry suffered through a difficult junior season. Before the season started, doctors thought Terry had an enlarged heart. He later tore his medial collateral ligament in his knee, then tweaked a hamstring. He also threw a punch in a game against Burlington Township and was disciplined. All red flags for scholarship-offering recruiters.

The injuries and health issues prompted Terry to try wrestling for the first time. The intense workouts not only helped Terry lose 45 pounds, they changed him as a person.
“I was different when I was bigger,” Terry said. “I was easily angered.”

“L.J. played basketball as a freshman and sophomore, but even then he looked like a wrestler,” Dolci said.

“We knew he was a tough kid, we knew he was strong and knew he was a great human being, but we were all skeptical when he came out. But he followed the NJSIAA descent plan (for weight loss).

“Something just clicked,” Dolci said. “It was inside him, it just needed to be let out.”

It took nearly two months for Terry to reach 220 pounds. He finished with a 12-9 record, took third in the District 25 tournament and won a bout in the Region VII Championships.

This season Terry is 19-3.

“He wasn’t big, he was plump,” Dolci said. “He was completely out of shape. He was upset at the possibility he was going to play guard.”

As it turns out, wrestling saved his football career.

“We bring a football mentality to our wrestling program,” Dolci said. “He discovered he had the ability to work hard.

“Really, he’s had only one year with this new body.”

He was one of the leaders on a Northern Burlington football team that reached the South Jersey Group II final, where it lost to Delsea. Terry was a crushing linebacker on defense, a lead blocker for Kenyatta Greene on offense, and at times, the starting tailback.

“I thought he played with a motor and was physical,” said Lawrence coach Rob Radice. “He ran downhill.”

“Once I lost the weight, I really gained confidence,” Terry said. “I started doing things for my teammates and not just for myself.”

It is that confidence that has Terry believing he can play football at Rutgers. Terry said the coaching staff wants him to play at 245 pounds.

“Anything is possible,” Terry said. “I am willing to make every sacrifice. I will gladly give my body up to make someone else successful.”

Terry said he is considering a major in accounting with a minor in foreign language or computer science. He will pay his own tuition during his first year at Rutgers.

“I will give my best and hopefully I will be able to help my dad pay for school,” Terry said. “I saw one of the workouts at Rutgers, and it was really intense.

“I can’t wait.”

Around the area
After some late flirtation with Connecticut last week, Steinert defensive tackle Enoch Asante took his official visit to Massachusetts last weekend and has decided to honor his verbal commitment to UMass, Steinert coach Dan Caruso said yesterday. Enoch will sign a binding National Letter of Intent today.

• Shurman Riggins, a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker from Lawrence, will sign with Wagner today, according to Radice.

• According to Hun coach Dave Dudeck, defensive back Abdul Majeed, who resides in Moorestown, will sign with the United States Naval Academy. Other Hun signings include safety Chris Cardinali with Bucknell and quarterback Blake Searfoss with Lafayette. Hun’s standout two-way lineman Hunter Knighton officially will sign with the University of Miami today.

Dudeck said other Hun players are narrowing choices. Gordon DeGeorge, from Yardville, a 240-pound lineman, still is considering Bryant University and Lafayette. Wide receiver Greg Golden is deciding between New Hampshire, Elon and a walk-on offer from his uncle, Al Golden, the head coach at Miami.

• Lawrenceville coach Danny O’Dea said three members of his Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship team will play football at the college level. Wide receiver John Salemi will play at Williams; Sam Wilson a post-grad, two-way lineman is going to Davidson; running back-linebacker Dan Berg and tight end-defensive end Joe Hillman both will attend Hamilton College in New York. Three Lawrenceville players have accepted lacrosse scholarships — Alistair Berven (Princeton), P.J. Finley (Notre Dame), Kevin McDonough (Penn). Grayson Helm will play at Bracknell College in England.

• Notre Dame coach Chappy Moore said his three top seniors still are weighing their collegiate options.